Summer romance doesn't come too fast or too slow
by little-chocolatecosmos
Summary: Hinowa devised plan that makes Tsukuyo and Gintoki end up attending a summer festival together. How will things go?


***A/N:** Hello! This is my ever first fanfic. I decided to partake Gintsu week that is going on tumblr. Today's prompt is summer love. For the character's thoughts I've italicized the text and for sounds I've embolded the text. Feel free to leave a comment. Don't be afraid to tell me what I can improve on. Thank ya and hope you enjoy!

 **PS:** HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST GIRL EVER, TSUKKI!

Another hot and sticky day was coming to an end in Yoshiwara. Seita just finished playing with his friends and was returning home. He saw a beautiful woman with black hair and fair skin at the front of the store.

"Kaa-chan!" Seita yelled as he was running towards the shop.

"Seita!" Hinowa yelled back while smiling and waving her hand. "How was your day with Izumi-chan and your other friends?" Hinowa asked while rubbing Seita's head.

"We had tons of fun, but Izumi-chan dropped some bad news on me." Seita replied sadly.

"Oh? What's the bad news?" Hinowa placed her hand on her cheek and asked with a concerned face.

" Izumi-chan invited me to go to the Bon Dancing Festival with her, but it turns out she had to cancel last minute. She said her dad wants to take her and her brother somewhere nice for a week." Seita replied showing his mother two tickets to the festival with a sad expression. Seita then had an idea and his face suddenly lit up. "Kaa-chan do you want to go to the festival with me? I can find an extra

ticket for Tsukuyo-nee. The three of us can finally go to the festival!"

"Ah" said Hinowa as she clapped her hands together as if she suddenly remembered something. "Seita I was going to ask you if you wanted to come with me to my hometown. I thought I would take you on a nice little vacation and take you somewhere a little far for a change. If you want to go to the Bon Dancing Festival instead, I don't mind it's up to you."

Seita's eyes widened. "Really?! We're going to go sightseeing in your hometown?!" Seita asked squealing with excitement.

"Yes, we can go check it out if you want. Do you want to go?" Hinowa asked.

"YES! I want to check it out kaa-chan. Is Tsukuyo-nee going to come with us?! What about these tickets?!" Seita asked bursting with delight.

Hinowa chuckled and patted Seita on his head. "Calm down Seita one question at a time. I asked Tsukuyo whether she can free up 5 days and 4 nights for me, but you know how diligent she is. She said she wouldn't be able to come and apologized. I really worry about her always working without break…" All of a sudden an idea lit into her mind. "Seita I have an idea on what to do with those two tickets. Here's the plan." Hinowa told Seita about the plan she had in mind. "Do you think you can help carry out this plan?"

"Don't worry kaa-chan. This plan will go on without a hitch!" Seita said boldly.

"I'll be counting on you. Now go wash up, I'll go prepare dinner." Hinowa replied with a smile on her face.

 _Hm, nothin' seems to be outta ta ordinary. Maybe I should head back home. Hinowa is probably makin' dinner right 'bout now._ Tsukuyo thought to herself while taking a deep breath from her kiseru and exhaling the smoke. Just as Tsukuyo was making her way back, rain started pouring down hard. Tsukuyo put her hand out. "It's a nice change ta have rain pouring down. It makes ta heat a bit more bearable." Tsukuyo slowed down the pace of her walking to enjoy the rain more.

"Ah'm home." Tsukuyo said as she took off her drenched boots.

"Welcome b-." Hinowa saw how drenched Tsukuyo was and hurriedly wheeled over to grab a towel to give to Tsukuyo. "Tsukuyo! You're drenched! You forgot to take an umbrella?"

"I didn' think it would pour down like this." Tsukuyo said while grabbing the towel from Hinow's hand. "Thank ya."

"Well I made some dinner, so wash up and eat after you've warmed up." Hinowa said as she yawned and started wheeling herself back to her room.

"Thank ya, ah'll make sure ta warm up then eat." Tsukuyo said walking towards the bathroom.

Tsukuyo walked into the bathroom. She adjusted the temperature of the water suitable to her taste. She undressed and stepped into the shower. After about 30 minutes of taking a shower she stepped out and changed into her plain pink yukata. She walked into the kitchen and sat down to eat the dinner Hinowa had prepared. Meanwhile Seita was trying to stealthily walk up to Tsukuyo.

"Seita what is it?" Tsukuyo asked plainly.

Seita flinched at the sound of her voice. "Y-you could tell I was here? That's Tsukuyo-nee for you."

"What are ya doin' up so late? Ya should be in bed." Tsukuyo replied.

"Ah well...I was waiting for you to come home because I have something to ask you." Seita replied coyly.

"Hoh? Well go ahead what do ya need to ask?" Tsukuyo said as she ate a spoonful of rice.

"Well...you see Izumi-chan said she can't make it to the Bon Dancing Festival with me and I have an extra ticket. I was wondering if you can take me." Seita blurted out.

"Why are ya askin' me to take ya? Can't Hinowa take ya?" Tsukuyo asked.

"Kaa-chan said she's going to be going back to her hometown for 5 days, so I have no one else to go with." Seita feigned a sad expression and looked towards the floor.

"Ah, that's right. Hinowa said she'll be outta town for a couple of days." Tsukuyo smiled softly and patted Seita on the head. "Don' worry. Ah'll be more than happy ta take ya ta tha festival."

Seita's gloomy expression turned into a bright smile. "Really? You'll take me to the festival Tsukuyo-nee?!"

"Of course ah'll take ya. When is it takin' place again?" Tsukuyo asked to make sure she wouldn't miss this big event for Seita.

"It's taking place August 17th! It's only a few days away." Seita gave Tsukuyo a big hug. "Thank you, thank you so much Tsukuyo-nee. You're the best!"

Tsukuyo ruffed up Seita's hair a little. "Alright it's time for ya ta sleep."

"Okay! I'll be heading off to bed now Tsukuyo-nee. See you tomorrow." Seita said as he was running back to his room.

Tsukuyo finished the rest of her dinner and decided to retire to her room for the rest of the night.

The next morning.

Hinowa was setting up breakfast and heard Tsukuyo walking into the room. "Tsukuyo good morning! You're up early. Are you going out to patrol already?" Hinowa asked as she was setting dishes onto the table.

" Good mornin' Hinowa. Yeah, ah'm going out to patrol and just look around." Tsukuyo replied.

"Won't you have a quick bite before you start working?" Hinowa grabbed Tsukuyo's hand and brought her towards the table.

"'Suppose I could get a quick bite before I head off." Tsukuyo sat down and noticed the table was missing a huge presence. "Where's Seita?"

"Seita got up and left about an hour ago. He said he wanted to play with his friends whole day today. My, my he has so much energy." Hinowa said with a smile on her face. "Ah, by the way I heard from Seita you'll be taking him to the festival."

"Ah, yeah. He said he didn' have anyone ta go with, an' asked me if I could take him. I said I would take him." Tsukuyo replied.

Hinowa clapped her hands together in excitement. "Thank you so much, Tsukuyo. Ah! Let's go pick out a nice yukata for you!"

"Hah? Can't I just wear my usual attire?" Tsukuyo asked in reluctance.

"Nonsense. Seita will be wearing something different, so you should too!" Hinowa strongly insisted.

"Alright, alright. Ah'll wear somethin' different." Tsukuyo gave in to Hinowa's demand.

"Excellent. Before you leave let me just take your measurements so I can get a nice yukata made for you." Hinowa wheeled into her room to get a measuring tape.

 _I can never say no ta her can I?_ Tsukuyo thought as a smile formed on her face.

In the Yorozuya headquarters.

It was dead silent in the apartment. Both Kagura and Gintoki were still deep asleep. A pair of glasses wearing a teenage boy walked in and noticed that no one was awake. A vein popped on his face.

"KAGURA-CHAN, GIN-SAN WAKE UP. IT'S ALREADY 11 AM." Shinpachi yelled.

Both Kagura and Gintoki slammed their door open.

"STOP YELLING SO EARLY IN THE MORNING MEGANE." They both yelled back in unison.

"It's already 11 AM and none of you are awake. What if we had a client come by and just leave because none of you were awake?!" Shinpachi said.

"Don't be silly Pachi-boy. It's summer vacation. Everyone is having their own naughty summer experiences while we rot away doing nothing for the rest of the summer." Gintoki said as he was picking his nose.

 ***Buehehehehehe.*** "You two losers might rot, but Soyo-chan actually invited me to go to the beach with her on the 17th-aru." Kagura gloated.

"You're not the only one getting some fun this summer Kagura-chan." Shinpachi pushed up his glasses and the glasses glinted for a brief second. "I want to request a day off on the 17th also. I will be attending Otsu-chan's special summer concert."

"Lucky you guys. Go ahead and enjoy your youth while real adults get jobs done." Gintoki replied with dead-panned eyes.

"Well I'm gonna go out and take Sadaharu on a walk-aru." Kagura quickly changed and grabbed her umbrella. "Come on Sadaharu let's go enjoy this nice summer day-aru."

"Ang!" Sadaharu barked and got up to follow Kagura.

"Well since it looks like today will be a slow day, I'll be in the music store checking out some of Otsu-chan's music. I'll be back later Gin-san." Shinpachi walked towards the door and left.

 _Ah finally some peace and quiet. I guess I should change out of my pajamas._ Gintoki switched out of his pajamas into his trademark outfit and lied down on the couch.

 ***Ding dong***

"Huh? Who could that be now?" Gintoki groaned. _Wait what if it was a hot babe waiting to give me my naughty summer experience?!_ Gintoki bolted up and started running for the door. "I'M COMING."

The door slid open. When Gintoki saw who it was his face turned into sheer disappointment.

"Gin-san I'm coming in." Seita announced remembering to close the door behind him.

"Oi, oi, oi. You're not a hot babe." Gintoki said nonchalantly. "What brings you here? Did you forget to do your summer assignments again? You still have a little over a week to finish them you know. If you want them done, bring a whole year's worth of allowance."

"I'm not here to do my summer homework. I learned my lesson last time." Seita sat himself down on the couch. "I came by to ask if you're free during the evening of the 17th."

"Eh? Why are you asking if I'm free on the evening of the 17th? Could it be...You've set me up with a hot babe?! Yahoo! My chance of having a naughty experience isn't dead." Gintoki got excited.

"Um...Actually I was going to ask if you could take me to the Bon Dancing Festival." Seita said with a happy face.

Gintoki's excitement died out in an instant. "Oi. Why would I want to spend my evening with some kid? Why don't you take your ka-chan and Tsukuyo instead?"

Seita got up and grabbed onto Gintoki's arm. "PLEASE. Kaa-chan is going to be out of town for a couple of days and you know Tsukuyo-nee never takes a break. Please I beg of you." Tears started forming in Seita's eyes.

Gintoki had one eye open and was looking at Seita about to cry. He caved in. "Alright, alright. I just have to take you, right? You know I don't have money to buy you anything, so you should bring money."

"Really?! Thank you Gin-san you're the best!" Seita hugged Gintoki.

"Yeah, yeah I already know I'm the best. Now let me go." Gintoki said as he was picking his nose. Then Seita gave an envelope to Gintoki. "Hm? What's this envelope for?" Gintoki asked.

"Since it would be pretty sad for people to see a kid buying things for an adult, I figured you just use this money to make it seem like you're buying me things at the festival." Seita said in a monotonous manner.

"O-oi, when you put it that way it makes me look so pathetic…" Gintoki took the envelope and slid it into his yukata. "Alright that's all you came for, right? I'll see you on the 17th then."

"Gin-san...Please don't spend that money on pachinko or to bet on horses or on Russian Roulette. Please promise me you won't spend a single cent of the money." Seita pleaded in desperation.

Gintoki promised and swore he wouldn't use a single cent until the night of the festival.

"Alright." Seita stood up and walked towards the door. "Don't forget to meet me in front of the entrance by 8PM!"

"I heard you." Gintoki shooed Seita away with his hand.

"I'm looking forward to the festival. See you then. Bye Gin-san!" Seita slid the door open and closed it afterwards.

Gintoki opened up a carton of strawberry milk. _Going to the festival huh. Guess I don't mind taking Seita._

Back in Yoshiwara Tsukuyo was patrolling about as usual, but something felt a bit off.

 ***ACHOO*** _Ah've sneezed a couple times already today an' mah body aches a bit. I wonder if ah'm coming down with tha cold. I hope not. I have ta take Seita ta tha festival. I don' wanna let Seita down._ Tsukuyo decided to sit down to take a little breather and clear her mind. _I should take som' medicine ta reduce tha chances of this cold gettin' outta hand. Tsukuyo got up to get some medicine._

August 27th finally arrived. The past couple of days flew by very quickly. During these past couple of days Hinowa got a yukata for Tsukuyo and got it tailored. She and Seita have been secretly packing for their mini-vacation back to her hometown on the side. Hinowa placed the yukata on the hanger and hung it up to take a good look at it.

"Mhmm. It's beautiful. I'm pretty sure she'll look even more beautiful in it." Hinowa said in a pleasing tone. Hinowa called out to Tsukuyo. "Tsukuyo can you come in here for a quick second?"

Tsukuyo woke up to Hinowa calling for her. _Mah body feels heavy. I feel a bit hot too. I heard Hinowa callin' fer me. I should go check it out._ Tsukuyo got up from her futon. "Ah'm coming just give me ah couple of minutes ta change." Tsukuyo replied back. Tsukuyo changed into her black kimono with a bright orange maple leaf pattern, fishnet stockings, and put her hair up as usual. Afterwards she sluggishly made her way into Hinowa's room. Tsukuyo slid the door open. "Ya called fer me, Hinowa?"

"Ah Tsukuyo good morning!" Hinowa wheeled herself to face Tsukuyo. "I wanted to sh-." Hinowa stopped mid-sentence once she got a good look at Tsukuyo. "Tsukuyo! Are you okay?! You look so worn out!" Hinowa wheeled herself over to Tsukuyo and held her hand with a concerned look. "You know if you're not feeling well you don't have to take Seita to the festival. We can cancel."

"No, no. Ah'm fine Hinowa. I just feel a lil' bit tired that's all. I can still go. Seita's been lookin' forward ta this festival." Tsukuyo insisted.

"If you can't go just let me know. Actually I called you over to show you something." Hinowa gestured Tsukuyo to push her wheelchair in front of the hung up yukata. "Alright stop right here." Tsukuyo stopped. "Ta-da! This yukata is just for you!"

In front of Tsukuyo's eyes was a beautiful yukata on a hanger. The yukata was black with beautiful red flowers. Tsukuyo was shocked and overwhelmed with happiness. No one had ever done this for her. Tsukuyo broke into a soft smile. "This...This is really beautiful Hinowa. Ah'm at a loss of words." Tsukuyo said softly.

"Well what are you waiting for Tsukuyo? Try it on! We have to see whether it fits you or not. If it doesn't fit, we can get it altered right away." Hinowa took the yukata off the hanger and handed it over to Tsukuyo.

Tsukuyo changed into the yukata and showed herself to Hinowa. Hinowa gasped at the sight of Tsukuyo in the yukata. "Tsukuyo! You look even more beautiful than I had imagined. It's perfect on you." Hinowa said in a doting manner.

Tsukuyo blushed and felt slightly embarrassed how Hinowa was doting on her. "I-I put this yukata on 'cause ya asked me ta."

"Yes, yes. You look very beautiful. You'll be turning heads in the festival for sure. I'm pretty sure you would even turn Gin-san's head if he were to be there." Hinowa exclaimed.

"W-Why are ya mentionin' that idiot?!" Tsukuyo retorted blushing a little bit harder.

Hinowa giggled. "You know I'm just teasing you. Well do you like it?"

Tsukuyo had a warm feeling overcome her. "I love it. Thank ya Hinowa. No one's ever done this fer me."

Hinowa took Tsukuyo's hand into her hand and softened her gaze. "There's more from where that came from. Besides, one day a nice man who loves you and whom you love back will come sweep you off your feet and shower you with many more gifts."

"Hah as if tha person I love will ever love me back." Tsukuyo chuckled. "By tha way shouldn' ya get ready ta leave?"

"Ah is it time already? I prepared breakfast. Also Seita told me to tell you that he'll meet you at the entrance of the festival by 8PM." Hinowa wheeled over to her suitcase and zipped it up.

"Here ah'll get yer suitcase fer ya." Tsukuyo picked up Hinowa's suitcase. "Well should we get goin' ta tha elevators now?"

"Yes, let's go." Hinowa wheeled herself out of the room.

On their walk to the elevators Hinowa and Tsukuyo talked about what Hinowa would be doing back in her hometown for the next 5 days. What already felt like a short walk came to an abrupt halt as soon as they reached the elevators.

"Well this is where we say bye to each other for now. Thank you for walking me all the way to the elevators Tsukuyo." Hinowa took her suitcase from Tsukuyo.

Tsukuyo frowned. "I can't believe Seita ain't here ta see ya off. It's not like him."

"Don't worry Tsukuyo. He already gave me a hug and told me to have a nice and safe trip." Hinowa said smiling.

 ***Ding Ding***

"The elevator's here. Well Tsukuyo this is where we have to say bye for now." The elevator doors opened and Hinowa wheeled herself in. "Don't forget to meet Seita at the entrance by 8 PM. You probably won't be seeing him until then." Hinowa said once more as a reminder.

Tsukuyo smiled and said, "I won't forget. Have a nice and safe trip Hinowa. Thank ya again fer tha beautiful yukata."

"No problem, no problem! See you in 5 days. Make sure to have fun!" Hinowa squeezed in her words as fast as she could as the elevator doors closed.

"I will. BYE!" Tsukuyo yelled hoping Hinowa heard it through the doors. She heard a faint bye back and smiled. _Phew. Hinowa almost found out that ah'm sick. That was a close call. Ah'll just patrol fer tha day an' meet up with Seita later in tha evening._ Tsukuyo made her way back out ready to start another day of work.

Hinowa got off the elevator and wheeled herself out. _It certainly is a beautiful day. It's a perfect day to go to the festival._ _I hope Tsukuyo enjoys her time with him._ Hinowa's train of thought was disrupted when someone called out to her. She turned to the source of the voice and smiled. "Are you ready to go Seita?"

"I'm ready kaa-chan! I'm so excited I couldn't sleep last night! The taxi's already waiting." Seita grabbed Hinowa's suitcase and pushed her wheelchair towards the taxi.

The clock already read 7:00 PM. Tsukuyo made her way back to the shop, but her body was not cooperating.

 _Darn it. This ain't good. Mah body feels hotter an' heavier than this mornin'! Relax. Take deep breaths. Remember this is fer Seita._ Tsukuyo slipped out of her usual attire and slipped into the yukata Hinowa had gotten for her. "Hm, maybe ah'll put mah hair up in a ponytail." Tsukuyo said as she was looking at the mirror. Tsukuyo decided to let her bangs fall and pulled the rest of her hair up into a ponytail. By the time she finished the clock read 7:25 PM. "Time ta go." Tsukuyo left the shop to go up to the surface.

In the Yorozuya headquarters.

"Ah it's already 7:25 PM. I guess I should get ready to go." Gintoki took JUMP off his face and got off of the couch. "Since it's a festival and I could meet a pretty lady, I should wear something other than what I usually wear." Gintoki rummaged through his closet. "Aha. Here it is." Gintoki took out a plain white yukata. He changed into the yukata and didn't forget to put the envelope of money somewhere safe. Surprisingly he stuck to his promise to Seita and didn't spend a single cent of the money in the envelope. "Damn brat should be happy I didn't spend any of his money." Gintoki then left the house.

Tsukuyo arrived at the left side of the entrance of the festival. She was still 10 minutes early, so she decided to stand there hoping Seita would come soon. Just then Gintoki arrived at the right side of the entrance and just stood there waiting for Seita. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. Ten minutes passed by and there was no sign of Seita. Gintoki was starting to get bored so he started to look around. Inside the festival was jam packed with people ranging from children to the elderly. He then looked around the other side of the entrance. All of a sudden this person on the other side of the entrance caught his attention. A blonde woman wearing a beautiful black yukata embellished with red flowers that clung onto every curve of her body had caught his attention.

 _Man she looks really attractive. It's too dark to see her face, but I'm pretty sure she's gorgeous. If this brat doesn't come in the next 5 minutes, I'm going try to approach her._ Gintoki started plotting how he was going to approach this gorgeous woman that caught his eye.

Meanwhile Tsukuyo was trying to hold herself to the best of her abilities. _Why did I have ta get sick now outta all days? I guess I shouldn't have taken mah time in the rain. Tha medicine barely did anythin'. I just gotta get through tha night an' I should be good. Hang in there Tsukuyo!_

Five painstakingly slow minutes finally passed by. Gintoki started making his way to the blonde woman.

 _Alright. Stay cool and maybe she'll give you the time of day._ He was standing right next to the woman, but she didn't seem to have noticed. Gintoki cleared his throat. "E-Excuse me miss. I noticed that you were standing here for quite awhile now. Are you waiting for someone?"

Tsukuyo hadn't noticed that someone was standing next to her. She lifted her head to look at the person who was speaking to her. "Ah, yes ah'm waitin' fe-" Tsukuyo stopped mid-sentence once she realized who she was talking to. Her eyes widened. "Gintoki?"

"Areh? T-Tsukuyo?" Gintoki had recognized that voice and those violet eyes in a heartbeat. Sweat was starting to roll down from his forehead. "W-What a coincidence. Ahahahaha. I didn't think I would bump into you." _THAT WAS SO CLOSE I ALMOST ASKED HER TO JOIN ME. WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD'VE HAPPENED?! SHE PROBABLY WOULD'VE THROWN ONE OF HER KUNAIS TO MY FOREHEAD._ Gintoki coughed. "So what brings you here?"

"Ah'm waitin' for Seita. He asked me if I could take him ta tha festival an' I said yes. What about ya? What brings ya here?" Tsukuyo asked trying her best to hide the fact that she's sick.

"Huh? What? Seita asked me if I could take him to the festival because he had no one to go with." Gintoki replied with a dead-panned expression.

"That's odd. He didn' say anythin' 'bout this. Well then I guess he won't be comin'. Guess ah'll be headin' back now. See ya." Tsukuyo started to walk back towards Yoshiwara.

"Wait." Tsukuyo halted at his voice and turned around to face Gintoki. "While we're both here you just want to enjoy the festival together?"

"Wh-What? Ya want ta go to ta festival with me?" Tsukuyo asked in disbelief.

"I mean we might as well, right? We got these tickets and plus," Gintoki whipped out an envelope, "I got money to spend on this festival."

"Hoh? Where did ya get tha money from? Hol' up ain't that Shinpachi an' Kagura's pay?! That's not right Gintoki! Ya need ta give them their pay!" Tsukuyo said teasingly.

"Hah?!" _Heh, two can play at this game Tsukuyo._ Gintoki smirked. "Oh? You're wearing something completely different today and you even changed up your hairstyle. What's that? Heeeeh. Are you girly enough to dress up for a festival?!"

Tsukuyo's face turned bright red. "W-Who are ya callin' girly?! I just wore somethin' else not ta embarrass Seita an' make sure he has only good memories of today." _I won't let ya win Gintoki._ This time Tsukuyo smirked. "Hoh. Yer wearin' somethin' completely different also. Did ya dress up hopin' ta get a nice lady?"

Gintoki's face turned red. "NO, you're wrong! I wore a different outfit to show Seita how manly real men can look in a festival!"

Tsukuyo faintly smiled. _Ah'll let this go this time._ "Alright, alright. Let's go check out ta festival." Tsukuyo started walking her way into the festival.

 _Areh that's weird. She hasn't thrown a kunai at me yet. I wonder if she's okay. Now that I got a closer look… She looks kind of weary. I wonder if I should say something._ Gintoki was lost in his thoughts.

Tsukuyo stopped walking and turned her head back at Gintoki. "Gintoki are ya comin' or not?"

Gintoki's thoughts stopped when he heard Tsukuyo talk. "Oi. Wait for me." He walked up to Tsukuyo. "Let's go." They both entered the festival side by side. Gintoki looked at Tsukuyo through the side of his eye. _I'll just keep a close eye on her._

The festival was filled with people. There were couples, friends, and families exploring the festival together. There were many stalls selling different kinds of food. There were a lot of games for people to entertain with themselves also. The atmosphere was very lively. Everyone had a smile on their faces and they genuinely seemed to be enjoying their time. While they were taking in the view of the festival Gintoki noticed a lot of guys checking out Tsukuyo.

 _I guess it's a good thing Tsukuyo is with me instead. I look less of a loser. But why do I feel irritated at all these guys looking at her?! I mean I can't blame them...Anyone with working eyes can see she's attractive. Wait. What am I thinking?! I have to stop thinking!_ Gintoki broke the silence. "Well let's see. The fireworks display will happen in an hour or so. We have an hour to kill. What do you want to do?" Gintoki asked looking at Tsukuyo.

"Ah've never really been ta a festival as big as this before, so I don' really know what I wanna do." Tsukuyo replied slightly embarrassed.

"Are you hungry or do you want to go play some games?" Gintoki asked.

"Games sound fun." Tsukuyo replied.

Gintoki pointed to a stall. "Yosh. Let's go scoop some goldfishes over there."

"Sounds good." Tsukuyo and Gintoki made their way to scoop some goldfishes. _This ain't good. My head is starting to feel light and my body feels heavier than ever before. I hope this all goes away soon._

About 50 minutes passed by. Gintoki excitingly went from stall to stall playing all sorts of games and eating food with Tsukuyo quietly partaking in all the events with him. _He's such a kid._ Tsukuyo thought to herself as a smile curled up on her lips. Just then the already filled up festival became even more crowded because people were trying to find the best spots to watch the fireworks. People started to push each other because of how crowded it had become. Gintoki and Tsukuyo were squished within the sea of people and got separated.

"What's up with this sudden influx of people?! Damn people move out of the way!" Gintoki yelled.

"Tsukuyo where are you?!"

"Gintoki! Ah'm right here!" Gintoki turned around to the sound of her voice. Tsukuyo was getting engulfed by the crowd. _Ah'm starting to feel really heated. I wonder if it's 'cause ah'm surrounded by a lotta people._

"Tsukuyo!" Gintoki tried making his way to Tsukuyo against the crowd. "Damn people, out of the way!" Gintoki was finally an arm's reach from Tsukuyo. He stretched out his hand towards her. "Tsukuyo hold onto my hand."

"W-What do ya mean hol' yer hand?! I don' need ta hol' yer hand. Ah'm fine!" Tsukuyo replied.

"Don't be stubborn woman. Do you want to get separated from me?! Hold onto my hand!" Gintoki yelled back pleadingly. Tsukuyo pushed through the crowd and reluctantly held onto Gintoki's hand.

"Hold onto my hand tightly. I'll lead us out of the crowd." Gintoki managed to get them out of the crowd. They ended up near the crowd-free vending machines. ***Pant, pant*** "That was such a pain in the ass. At least we finally got out." Gintoki looked around to make sure the crowd wouldn't be spreading to where they were.

 _Ah this is bad. I think ah'm gonna pass out any second now. I should inform Gintoki._ Tsukuyo had started to breathe a bit more heavily and started to sweat profusely after trying to get out of the crowd. "G-Gintoki…" Tsukuyo barely managed to call out to him.

"Hm? Oh right we're still holding hands sorry about that." Gintoki let go of Tsukuyo's hand.

"I-It's not that. I think ah'-," before Tsukuyo could finish her sentence she lost consciousness and her body started to fall.

"Hah? What were you saying?" Gintoki turned to face Tsukuyo and saw she had lost consciousness and was about to fall onto the ground. "Oi, Tsukuyo!" He managed to catch her in the last second.

"Tsukuyo hang in there!" Gintoki had noticed her labored breathing and sweating in abundance. _She's burning up! She has a fever. I need to get her back home fast. Yoshiwara's too far on foot. The closest place is back home. I'll just have to bring her home with me. Gintoki scooped Tsukuyo up and quickly got out of the festival and back to his apartment._

Gintoki finally managed to get to the stairs of his apartment. He hurriedly walked up the stairs so he could lay Tsuskuyo down on a futon. He slid the door open and closed it after him. He heard a voice addressing him.

"Gin-chan there you are-aru." Kagura turned her head from the television to look at Gintoki. "What took you so l-." Kagura stopped speaking when she saw Gintoki in a white yukata holding a blonde woman in a black yukata decorated with red flowers. Upon closer inspection Kagura realized the woman was Tsukuyo. She jumped up and ran to Gintoki. "Gin-chan is that Tsukki?! What's wrong with Tsukki?! She doesn't look so good-aru!" Kagura cried out.

"She's burning up. I need you to lay the futon out in the room so she can lie down." Gintoki commanded Kagura. Kagura ran into the bedroom and laid out the futon so Tsukuyo can lie down. Gintoki shortly followed and lay Tsukuyo down on the futon.

"Will Tsukki be alright?" Kagura asked with a worried expression. "Tsukki looks like she's in a lot of pain-aru..."

"She'll be alright. We just need to change her into fresh new clothing and wash the sweat off of her." Gintoki said as he was looking for a clean yukata to dress her in. "Kagura I need you to clean her up and dress her up in this." Gintoki handed Kagura one of his trademark yukatas.

"Okay get out Gin-chan." Kagura kicked Gintoki out of his own bedroom and proceeded to take 20 minutes to clean up Tsukuyo and put her in his yukata. Kagura slid the door open and announced that she was done. "I'm going to go now Gin-chan."

"Eh? Go? Go where?" Gintoki asked.

"Soyo-chan invited me to have a sleepover with her tonight, and I promised her so I have to go-aru. I was waiting for you to come home to tell you-aru." Kagura replied with a deadpan expression. Kagura started making her way to the door to leave. "You better not do anything weird to Tsukki. You better take very good care of her, yes? If Tsukki says you did something weird to her, you'll pay for it Gin-chan." Kagura then turned to Sadaharu. "Sadaharu I'm counting on you to keep an eye on Gin-chan. Make sure he doesn't do anything weird to Tsukki, alright?"

"Ang!" Sadaharu barked back to assure Kagura he was going to keep a close eye on Gintoki.

"W-Wait Kagura! If you leave, she might misunderstand the situation you know?! Gin-san will no longer exist anymore you know?!" Panic started to overtake Gintoki.

"If you don't do anything weird there's no reason for Tsukki to misunderstand anything Gin-chan." Kagura replied calmly while picking her nose. "I have to go now I promised Soyo-chan. Good night Gin-chan." Kagura left and closed the door after her.

"Damn brat leaving me with all the work." Gintoki sighed. "I guess I should check on her and see how she's doing." As Gintoki was walking towards his bedroom Sadaharu stepped in and prevented Gintoki from walking in.

"Move it you damn mutt. I need to see how she's doing." Sadaharu wouldn't budge and just barked at Gintoki. "Fine, fine. I'll leave the door open so you can see what's going on. Will you move now?" Sadaharu barked and moved over so Gintoki could enter his bedroom.

Gintoki entered his bedroom and sat down next to Tsukuyo to see how she was doing. Her breathing was still a bit labored, but the sweat was cleaned off. Kagura even let Tsukuyo's hair down so she can lie down properly. _She looks like she's in pain._ Gintoki put the back of his hand on Tsukuyo's forehead. "It's still pretty hot." Gintoki left the bedroom and brought back cold water and a hand towel. He soaked the towel with cold water and wringed out the excess water. He folded the towel in half. He pushed her bangs back and put the towel on her forehead. It made Tsukuyo feel better because her expression softened up as soon as the cool towel came in contact with her skin. Gintoki looked down at Tsukuyo. _Good grief, what a troublesome woman. Are you an idiot? Why didn't you tell me you were sick?_ Gintoki frowned. _You should put yourself first you know? Stop always putting other people before you._ Gintoki let out a sigh. _Well at least you're resting up now._ A huge sense of relief overcame Gintoki and he slightly smiled. For the rest of the night Gintoki continued to take care of Tsukuyo.

Morning approached and the sun was shining through the window. Tsukuyo woke up and tried to recollect the events from last night. Once she remembered she quickly sat up. The towel that was on her forehead fell onto her lap. Then a voice came from behind.

"I see you're awake. You're really a troublesome woman you know." Gintoki said as he walked and sat down next to Tsukuyo.

Tsukuyo turned her body to face Gintoki. "Ah'm sorry 'bout what happened last night. It seems like ah've caused ya a lotta trouble."

Gintoki got slightly irritated and spoke in a louder voice. "There you go!"

Tsukuyo was confused. _What is he gettin' all angry fer?!_ A small fire started in her heart. "What did I do?! Ah'm just apologizin' fer what happened ya bastard." Tsukuyo snapped back.

Gintoki realized she couldn't see what he was seeing. _It's just her. She's always putting other people before her because that's just who she is._ All of a sudden Gintoki felt sorry for getting angry at her. "I'm sorry for getting irritated at you." Gintoki's voice turned soft. "It's just that I wish you could think about yourself too you know? Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling good?"

"I didn' wanna ruin tha evenin'. Ya looked like ya were havin' a lotta fun and I was havin' a good time also." Tsukuyo replied with a small smile while reminiscing about the night before.

Gintoki was taken back by her reply. _She was having a good time with...me?_

"Gintoki ya've gotten silent. Are ya okay?" Tsukuyo asked out of curiosity.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm fine. You shouldn't neglect yourself. Speak up when you're not feeling good. I worry about you." Gintoki's face changed into a concerned expression.

"Hah? Ah'm fine. No need ta worry. Why are ya worryin' 'bout me fer?" Tsukuyo replied back with a question that got Gintoki thinking really hard.

 _Why was I worrying about her for? It's because we've been friends for many years, right? I worry for her as a friend...right?_ Something in Gintoki's heart was telling him that he wasn't worried about Tsukuyo just as a friend. While Gintoki was thinking to himself Tsukuyo got up.

 _He's bein' awfully silent today. Guess I should take mah leave._ Tsukuyo spoke up, "Gintoki do ya know where my yukata is?"

Gintoki broke out of his thoughts. "Yeah, I cleaned it. I'll bring it to you." Gintoki got up and brought back Tsukuyo's yukata and handed it over to her. "Here you go."

"Can I use yer bathroom ta change?" Tsukuyo asked.

"Yeah sure. Go right ahead." Gintoki said as he pointed towards the bathroom.

"Thank ya." Tsukuyo left the bedroom and walked into the bathroom and changed. She came back out wearing the black yukata from the previous night. She saw Gintoki sitting at his desk with his legs up on his desk. He was holding JUMP up to his face. She walked over and placed Gintoki's yukata nicely folded on the desk. "Thank ya fer takin' care of me. Ah'll pay ya back another day. Ah'll be off now, see ya."

Gintoki just gave her the casual wave as Tsukuyo was leaving. He moved JUMP slightly away to make sure Tsukuyo was completely gone. _Thank goodness she's gone. My heart doesn't feel right. Is something wrong with me?! I need...I need strawberry milk! That should fix everything._ Gintoki rushed to the refrigerator and took out a carton of strawberry milk and gulped it down. _That tasted amazing, but it didn't really change anything. Why am I so worried about her? If it isn't because we've been friends then what could it be?_ Gintoki was consumed by his thoughts. He had to get to the bottom of this and figure out why he was feeling this way. _Let's see. Let's list the good qualities she has. She's kind, selfless although she's a bit too selfless, she's attractive, we understand each other on so many levels, she's comfortable to be around, she's very protective over her loved ones, she's strong both physically and emotionally, she's a tsundere for sure, she's pure, she easily gets embarrassed, she has a cute accent, she puts up and follows up on my shenanigans, I could go on and on but that would take forever. Now the bad qualities. She throws her kunais at me despite the fact I probably deserve it most of the time, she's super violent when drunk hence she's called the drunk terminator, and she tends to forget to take care of herself. In all honesty, I like every little thing about her. It makes her who she is. I wouldn't have it any other way._ A smile crept onto Gintoki's lips as he was walking back to his desk. _I always feel happy when I think about her, but then I start to worry. I end up wondering how she's doing and wonder if she's alright. Why? Hm._ Gintoki sat back down on his chair and turned his chair towards the window. He continued on with this thoughts. _If something were to happen to her, I don't know what I would do. I can't imagine my life without her. I want her to continue to be in my life and I want to continue to be in her's. I want to continue to put a smile on her face, even if it means to make all the jokes in the world. Just her being happy and inhaling her stupid smoke makes me happy. I want to be by her damn side. I want to be the one to try make her happy. That's why I concern myself about her so much. Why?_ Gintoki's face lit up as he finally found his answer. _Because...because...I love her. "AH! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!"_ Gintoki put his hands into his hair. "How am I going to face her now?!"

"Face who Gin-chan?" Kagura asked as she walked in. "I'm back-aru. Where is Tsukki? Is she any better-aru? You didn't do anything to her, right-aru?!"

Gintoki jolted at the sound of Kagura's voice. "Yeah, Tsukki's a lot better than yesterday. She left a while ago actually." A vein appeared on Gintoki's forehead. "Oi what do you mean I didn't do anything?! I wouldn't do anything to her to begin with. Do you know how sharp her kunais are?!"

Kagura sat down on the couch. "So who are you talking about Gin-chan?"

Sweat started rolling down Gintoki's face. Gintoki gulped. "I-I'm not talking about anyone. I'm just muttering stuff to myself. It's adult stuff nothing for kids to worry about."

"Whatever." Kagura lost interest and started picking her nose. "Gin-chan, I'm hungry-aru. Make me some breakfast-aru."

"Yes, yes." Gintoki got up from his chair and went into the kitchen. He was still deep in his thoughts. _I wonder how I'm going to face her now. Now that I'm fully aware of the feelings I've been having I don't think I can look her in the eyes properly. Someone like me doesn't deserve someone as good as her._

Five days had passed. Hinowa and Seita had come back from their mini-vacation and brought souvenirs for Tsukuyo. Hinowa was dying to know how the festival went and sat Tsukuyo down in her room.

"So how was the festival?" Hinowa asked excitedly.

Tsukuyo had a hard time answering Hinowa's question. "Ah well um. It didn' go exactly well."

Hinowa grew concerned. "Oh no. Did something bad happen between you and Gin-san?"

"No, no it's not like that." Tsukuyo reassured Hinowa. "It's a long story."

"I'm ready to hear it, if you want to share it." Hinowa replied.

"Ah'm willin' ta share it with ya." Tsukuyo took a deep breath and told Hinowa the events that took place. "That's everythin'."

Hinowa took a moment to soak in everything Tsukuyo told her. "My, my a lot of things happened. Look like you're in Gin-san's debt. He took care of you all night long."

"Yeah, but he's been actin' weird after tha whole thing. He hasn' bother ta ask fer some payment back fer takin' care of me. He got angry at me sayin' ah'm not takin' care of mahself." Tsukuyo said with a conflicted expression.

Hinowa tried consoling Tsukuyo. "Oh, Tsukuyo. You know he said that because he worries about you."

"I know. He said that he worries 'bout me. But why? He doesn' need ta worry 'bout me. Ah'm fine."

Tsukuyo replied.

 _Oh Tsukuyo you're too adorable._ Hinowa smiled and said teasingly, "Tsukuyo, maybe it's his way of saying 'I like you'."

Tsukuyo's face turned red as a tomato and she started to stutter. "W-What do ya mean he likes me?! Ya mean as a friend, right?"

"Who knows?" Hinowa winked and started to wheel herself out of the room. "Time to start another day, right Tsukuyo?"

"R-Right." Tsukuyo replied in a bewildered manner.

While Tsukuyo was patrolling she couldn't stop thinking about what Gintoki said before she left. She tried hard not to think about it, but he just kept popping up in her mind.

 _I think I should go have a proper conversation 'bout what happened._ Just then one of the hyakka members appeared right next to her. "Kashira. It's time you go on a break. You've been patrolling the entire day without break."

"Really? What time is it?" Tsukuyo asked her subordinate.

"It's already 3 PM. We can handle the rest you can even take the rest of the day off." She replied.

"Ah'll only take an hour. I leave everythin' ta ya guys until then." Tsukuyo parted ways with her

subordinate and made her way to the elevator. She decided to go talk to Gintoki.

She finally made her way to Yorozuya Gin-san's place. She took a deep breath in before she rang the bell. She mustered all her courage and finally rang the bell. It was complete silence. She rang the bell a second time. She was answered back with complete silence again.

 _Is he not here?_ Tsukuyo wondered. She tried calling out his name, "Gintoki." Much to her avail there was still no reply. Tsukuyo sighed. _Guess he's not here._ She felt somewhat let down and it showed on her face. Seeing how she wasn't going to meet him today, she started smoking her kiseru and decided to head back to Yoshiwara.

Gintoki was walking back to the apartment after losing everything in pachinko. _I was sure that pachinko was going to at least help me get Tsukuyo off my mind._ Unfortunately for Gintoki, she remained on his mind throughout the entire day. Just then he saw a familiar blonde wearing a black kimono with bright orange maple leaves smoking her kiseru. _Huh isn't that Tsukuyo? What's she doing all the way over here? She looks kind of disappointed._ Gintoki was reluctant, but called out to her anyways. "Tsukuyo!"

Tsukuyo could swear her heart stopped beating for a second as soon as she heard the all familiar voice calling her name. Her disappointment got washed away. Tsukuyo looked around and spotted Gintoki. She calmly yet swiftly walked up to him. "Yo, long time no see."

"Sheesh you look as dull as ever Tsukki." Gintoki teased. _Keep things cool Gintoki. You don't want to show your true feelings._

"You still have a burnt field as usual I see." Tsukuyo retorted back. _I missed this. Ah'm glad he seems back ta normal._

"Oi you're talking about my hair aren't you?!" Gintoki spat back while Tsukuyo had a smug smirk on her face. _Change this topic fast before I keep teasing her._ "A-Anyways what brings you here? It's kind of far from Yoshiwara." Gintoki asked.

"I actually came ta talk ta ya, Gintoki." Tsukuyo replied straightforwardly.

"Huh? Talk to me? What do you need to talk about?" Gintoki started getting nervous. "Wait before you answer that question let's go back to my place to get more privacy." Tsukuyo agreed and the two of them walked back to the apartment.

"You want some tea?" Gintoki asked Tsukuyo.

"Ah'm alright." Tsukuyo replied.

Gintoki came back with some strawberry milk for himself and a glass of water for Tsukuyo just incase.

"So what brings you all the way over here?"

Here goes nothin'. Tsukuyo mentally cooled down herself. "I came all tha way here 'cause what ya said last time been botherin' me. Ya know when ya said ya were worried 'bout me."

 _Crap. She brought up the time when I told her I was worried about her._ Gintoki let out a laugh to conceal his nervousness. "Haha. Yeah I remember. W-Why do you want to talk about it?"

"I was just wonderin' 'bout a lotta things. Ya only care 'bout me as a friend, right?" Tsukuyo asked as confirmation.

 _Don't tell her the truth. Don't you dare tell her the truth._ "Haha. Yeah. That's what I meant. I'm worried about you as a friend." He put a hand behind his head to lighten up the atmosphere.

"Is that so? I thought so." Tsukuyo couldn't help but feel downhearted. _I already expected this, but it still hurts ta hear it._ As hard as she tried to hide the fact she was dispirited, it still showed on her face. She quickly got up and tried to leave to prevent Gintoki from figuring out how cast down she was from his response.

Despite her quick thinking, Gintoki saw how hurt she looked. _Why does she look so hurt? I can't let her go like this._ "Tsukuyo wait." Gintoki quickly stood up and followed after Tsukuyo.

"I have ta go back Gintoki. Perhaps we can talk some other time." Tsukuyo put a foot into her boot. Right as she was going to pull up her boot she felt a hand on her wrist.

"Tsukuyo I asked you to wait." Gintoki said more sternly. Next thing he knew a kunai was stuck on his forehead. _The kunais are back alright._ Strangely enough he missed her kunais.

"W-What are you doin' ya bastard?! Let mah wrist go!" Tsukuyo responded.

"I won't let go of your wrist until you agree to talk to me. I'm curious about somethings too and I need the answers from you." Gintoki said as he firmly held onto her wrist.

"Yer not gonna let me go are ya?" Tsukuyo asked.

"Nope. You damn well know I will keep holding onto you." Gintoki replied while picking his nose.

Tsukuyo gave in. "Alright. I'll answer ya questions." Gintoki trusted her and let go of her wrist. They both sat back in their respective spots from before. "So? What did ya wanna ask me?"

"Why do you look disheartened?" Gintoki asked with a serious face.

 _Don' tell him tha truth Tsukuyo._ "Ya saw wrong." Tsukuyo calmly responded.

"Oh really? Then why were you in such a hurry to leave all of a sudden?" Gintoki asked back. You can't deceive to me Tsukuyo.

"I just remembered I gotta get back ta work." Tsukuyo replied with a stoic face.

"You know you're not good at lying Tsukki. You should just spit out the truth right now. If you don't, I have all day and all night to wait." Gintoki said as he was crossing his leg to show he was relaxing.

"Why is it any of ya concern how I looked?" Tsukuyo asked.

Gintoki simply answered, "It's my concern because I care about you. Plus I just couldn't let you leave with that kind of expression."

Tsukuyo's voice turned soft. "Why? Why can't ya just let me go regardless of what expression I have?"

Gintoki felt a small pain in his heart. He hated how he was the reason she had that expression, but he couldn't tell her how he felt. He remained silent.

 _He seems like he's tryin' ta hide somethin' from me. It's as if he's forcin' himself ta remain silent. I guess ah'll just answer his question truthfully, if it makes him feel any bettah. What's tha worst that can happen, right?_ Tsukuyo took a deep breath and broke the silence. "Gintoki honestly tha reason why I looked disheartened was 'cause I wished ya would worry 'bout me more than as a friend."

Gintoki's eyes grew wide from shock. _Eh? Did I hear her right? She wanted me to worry for her more than as a friend?!_

Tsukuyo continued on as Gintoki listened. "Tha truth is, ah've liked ya for some time now. I didn' wanna say anything 'till tha day I die 'cause I didn' wanna burden ya with mah feelin's ya know?"

Gintoki froze after processing that Tsukuyo had confessed her feelings. _She said it out loud. She said that she likes me. Is it okay for me to be selfish and have her all to myself?_

"Ah'm not expectin' a response of any sort ya know! I answered ya question honestly hopin' it would make ya feel bettah even in tha slightest way." Tsukuyo got a glimpse of the clock and noticed that an hour already had passed by. "Ah've been here fer an hour now. I should really get back ta work." Tsukuyo got up and made her way back to the door once again.

Gintoki came out of his frozen phase and finally uttered a sentence, "Tsukuyo, wait." Gintoki made up his mind. He was willing to take the risk and tell her how he honestly felt about her. _She mustered up all her courage to answer my question honestly just to make me feel better. Damn woman. You're always too damn selfless for your own good. You make me want to be selfish. You make me want to be by your side. You drive me insane. But I wouldn't have you any other way. This is the you I fell for and this is the you I want to be with._ "Let me take you back to Yoshiwara on my scooter."

Gintoki and Tsukuyo arrived in front of the elevator that led to Yoshiwara. Tsukuyo got off from the scooter and turned around to face Gintoki.

"Thank ya fer bringin' me all tha way back ta Yoshiwara." Tsukuyo said gratefully. "I gotta get goin' now get back home safely ya hear?"

"Tsukuyo, wait." This time Gintoki got off the scooter. "I need to tell you something. Do you think you can give me 10 minutes of your time?"

Tsukuyo nodded as she was smoking her kiseru. "Ya wanna go sit at tha benches over there?"

"Yeah that sounds good. Ladies first." Gintoki gestured Tsukuyo to go sit down first. Once they seated themselves Gintoki spoke up. "Tsukuyo you've given me the courage to answer your question back." Gintoki cleared his throat. "The reason why I couldn't let you go with that expression was my heart was telling me not to let you go. My heart was telling me 'don't let the woman you're interested in go like that'."

Tsukuyo's mouth opened a little in shock and her kiseru fell out. "W-What do ya mean woman yer interested in? Don' ya mean friend?"

Gintoki waved his hand in objection. "No. I mean _**the**_ woman I'm interested in. I'm interested in you, Tsukuyo. Truthfully, I've realized my feelings for you a while back. I just escaped from my feelings because I felt like someone like me doesn't deserve someone like you. I was planning to take this secret to the grave, but you've given me courage."

Tsukuyo was in disbelief. "G-Gintoki. Yer not sick anywhere right?! Ya don' have a fever or anythin'?!"

A vein popped up on Gintoki's face. "Oi, Tsukuyo. Gin-san just put his life on the line to confess his feelings and this is the response you come up with?!"

Tsukuyo blushed. "W-Well how else am I supposed ta act ya idiot?! Ya just confessed outta nowhere!"

"Oi! You're the one that confessed to Gin-san first you know?!" Gintoki responded back.

"T-That was 'cause ya wanted an honest answer, so I gave ya one!" Tsukuyo argued back. "I was worried 'bout ya back there ya idiot!"

"Eh? You were worried about little ol' Gin-san back there?!" Gintoki teased Tsukuyo.

Before they knew it they were both teasing and bickering to each other like an old married couple once again. Once they finished their little teasing and bickering they busted out into huge smiles. This was normal for them.

"So…" Gintoki said.

"So?" Tsukuyo asked.

"Are you willing to give Gin-san his very own naughty summer experience now?" As soon as he finished asking the question he felt the all familiar kunai stuck to his forehead.

"My kunais are the most naughty summer experience you'll be getting." Tsukuyo replied twirling another kunai with her finger.

"I was just joking! Damn you and your kunais woman!" Gintoki said as blood trickled down from his forehead. "So, how about it?"

"How 'bout what?" Tsukuyo asked as she took her kunai back from Gintoki.

"Will you spend the summer festival again with me again next year, and the year after, and the year after and so forth?" Gintoki asked.

"Hm, I guess I could spend tha summer festival with ya year, after year and so forth." Tsukuyo replied.

"Will you spend all the holidays, special occasions, and all the four seasons with me year, after year, after year and so forth?" He asked again.

"I don' mind that." Tsukuyo replied softly.

"You know just because we'll be spending all that time together now doesn't mean anything will change. Gin-san will remain the same Gin-san, so don't expect a completely different person." Gintoki warned Tsukuyo.

"That's fine by me. That's tha you I fell for. I wouldn' have ya any other way. Although I gotta warn ya, don' expect me ta be changin' also 'cause it ain't happenin'." Tsukuyo warned Gintoki back.

"I wouldn't want you any other way either Tsukki." Gintoki said with a small smile. _I'm happy. I'm glad I decided to risk it. This is so worth it. Ah man I want to make a move and kiss her already. Screw it I'm going to go for it._ Slowly Gintoki started inching his face closer to Tsukuyo.

 _I-Is he tryin' ta kiss me?! I should meet him halfway._ Tsukuyo started inching her face closer to Gintoki, but unfortunately her nerves got the best of her. She approached his face a little too fast and their lips clashed onto one another.

"OW!" They both yelled in unison. Their first kiss was awkward and painful on their lips. They both stared at each other for a good minute, then burst out into laughter. It didn't matter that their first kiss wasn't romantic, this was more like them. While others would have looked at them weirdly, it didn't matter to them. Because in the end, they wouldn't have it any other way.

"We can work on the timing with a lot of practice. Deal?" Gintoki asked Tsukuyo.

"D-Deal." Tsukuyo agreed.

 _Seasons and/an' years may come and/an' go, but there is no other person in the/tha entire world I would want/wanna spend it with, but you/ya._


End file.
